Happy Holidays & Special Bella Card Sets...

Wishing you and your families joy and happiness this holiday season!!! I just wanted to share a few of my favorite things in life...MY GIRLS and MY HUBBY! Although they are a handful at times, they also bring great joy, laughter, and tears(mostly happy of course!)to my life. I'm incredibly grateful to have a wonderful husband who is also a terrific father, even when he puts in 18 hr. days, 7 days a week, he always goes that extra mile to let us know just how much he loves us! I don't even know if he "spies" on my blog, but this is definitely the one I want him to "peek-in" on...teehee! Chan, you are my EVERYTHING! It's really not my place to put "family" happenings on my blog, however, its been incredibly challenging on us these last 2 years(only another military recruiters family would understand) and we have a busy New Year ahead of us. We are due for orders(military move) in early Spring and VERY eager to find where we are moving next. In anticipation for family arriving for the Christmas Holiday, I will be on break until after the New Year as we really want to spend as much time together as possible:) Enjoy the pics!



These cute cards really were a labor of love for me this Christmas. I have many things to be thankful for this Christmas, including the many folks who have supported and enjoyed my crafts. I made roughly 150(I stopped counting after the 1st 10...lol) of these particular cards as a special thank for their support. I kept them pretty basic since they were multiples. The paper is from Junkitz and I pulled the colors from the PP to color in the Bellas. The Bellas were given to me by a dear friend(& BIGGEST fan...wink wink!)Elizabeth. I love the bright/bold color combos and it really makes the Bella's not only look "cheery" but also makes the images really "POP". I also played with some more "Flame" Dew Drops that I glued on with a tiny bit of Crystal Effects. Nestibility dies were used for cutting out the sentiments and "popped" up with dimensionals.

Arrrrrg!

ETA: Thank you ladies for helping me out with the chocolate issue! I'm certainly going to try the "tempering" method to see if it makes a difference. I honestly couldn't remember what type I used(milk or dark) as I was in such a hurry I just unwrapped and thru in my double boiler! Soo, better luck next time:)
I finally got around to purchasing this cute little pirate set:) It's nice to play with some "boy-themed" cards and lay off the pink...lol This little guy reminds me of Nephew Aidan...he's going to keep his Mommy busy! I kept the layout pretty simple and used my nestibility dies for the focal image. The pirate is stamped on and colored with SU! re-inkers...these seem to be my favorite medium lately as they blend very nicely. The only extras I added were the MM vintage brads and some Crystal Effects on the sword, eye patch, and hook for a 3-D effect!

I wish the picture wouldn't have such a dark background. Its been a pain not being able to get shots I like...the sun has been absent here for a few weeks now! I feel like we are living in Alaska...lol

Altered Card Boxes...

These cute little boxes were inspried by Nichole Heady's cute little card box purses. I knew I wouldn't be needing the handles, so I tweaked it just slightly. These boxes are originally for storing card sets, but I personally have only used them maybe twice for that option! All you have to do is cut them in half(from the start of the body of the box) at 2 7/8 inches and begin to decorate! I used a variety of Basic Grey(Figgy Pudding & Fruit Cake Line)
Just a close up! Very basic, but fun! I'm really addicted to these new Dew Drops now that I know what to do with them...lol I used the "flame" & "Spring Bloom" varities.
This is my favorite color combo of them all. I really like the soft winter colors and I paired it with SU! Chocolate Chip ribbon. You can put just about anything you can think of and give as a sweet thank-you! My original intent was to do chocolate covered pretzels...which we DID do but I'm wondering why the next day, when I went to package, the chocolate looked old?? Should I have used "unsalted" pretzels??? They looked so yummy, but I wasn't about to package "old" looking chocolate...lol Soooo, I went for my second option of banana bread! I cut 2 slices(thick cuts) and placed them together, wrapped in wax paper, and inserted them in the cello bag. I trimmed off the sticky tab and tied with some yummy ribbon.

Pretty Princess Invites & Thank-you's...

I made these for a gf who is throwing a little party for her princess! The only thing she requested was something with a "snow princess" theme. I didn't want to go over the top, but I knew the choco/blue color combo would be perfect winter colors. I have used this "Pretty Princess" stamp many times and it has been well worth the money:) She would also make a great place card for a little girls tea party. I started with a Chocolate Chip base and matted Bashful Blue on top. The Bashful Blue cs is stamped with the snowflake from "Flaky Friends" and the I ran it thru my cuttlebug before sewing it on. The "princess" is colored with SU! re-inkers and watercoloring pencils. After coloring the image I cut it out with my rectangle Spellinbinder Dies and "popped" it it up on dimensionals. The SU! Chocolate Chip ribbon is tucked in behind the focal image. I added a little Diamond Stickles to her crown and wand for extra sparkle...afterall, a princess isn't complete without some fairy dust:) For the "snap-like" enclosure, I used my SU! Slit Punch and added the rhinestone.
Matching "thank-you" notes.

Glue-Art and Paper Studio

Yippee! I'm so excited to share my first design team project! Feeling inspired? You can check out this awesome Dress Form and other alterable items @ Glue-Art & Paper Studio!

The design had to be based off of things that inspire us personally. I'm on a B&W kick lately so thats where the color combo comes from. I started by painting the entire dress form with black acrylic paint. I then cut the paper to size. The B&W pattern is from Me and My Big Ideas and then I accented with red Bazzill paper. I wrapped the black May Arts ribbon around, but it looked a little plain, so I added the red satin ribbon on the inside. The bottom edging of the dress is done with my SU! corner rounder and stamped with the scroll design from Crafty Secrets that I purchased thru Anna Wight. I then laced up the support stand with red satin ribbon. Finally, on the bottom I added another personal favorite...flowers and buttons! I know weird combo, but I love sewing and spending time in the garden:) The rhinestones in the middle of the Prima's are actually two parts: a clear rhinestone flower(Dress it UP!) and the center is a Mirco Dot Amuse Twinkle Sticker.

I loved working on this project because I was forced to think "outside of the box" for once. Its always nice to have a challenge that can be fun and inspiring:) Be sure to check out Glue-Art & Paper Studio for more inspiration from the rest of the talented design team!

PTI Swap...

I did up several of these cards for a PTI swap I was in a few months ago. Somehow the pic got lost in sauce! There hasn't been much sunshine to shoot all the fun stuff I've been working on and I have plenty to share:) So hopefully this week I get some decent pictures to post!

Anyhoo, back to the card! It was my first time to play with Kraft cs and I must say that I'm disappointed I hadn't used it before. It definitely ties in well with Fall colors. The bg is stamped with SU! Paisley in True Thyme. The pumpkins are from PTI Spooky Treats and I just used two different chalk inks and masking to get them "bunched" together. The raffia is tied underneath the main image. The sentiment is cut out with CM ovals and I added some MM vintage brads:)

Turning ATC's into Cards...

This was the original card I made based off the inspiration from my ATC. It just shows that you can either put the ATC directly onto the a card base(photos below) or just use it for inspiration(colors, patterns etc.)
I made these two particular styles for a client who had asked if I would turn the ATC's into larger cards. Because the focal image is all "dolled" up I needed to make sure I kept the cardbase simple. I started with SU! Aida cloth bg and only stamped it half way down on the card. Then I cut a simple 1 inch strip of Certainly Celery CS and added the buttons(Foo-fa-La). The focal image is up on 3D foam tape. Fun right?? I would love to do another ATC swap...these cute little cards are soo fun and quick to do!

Cupcakeabella:)

I couldn't wait to play with this new bella. I've been having an itch for cupcakes lately and would you believe it, I finally made cupcakes for the first time for my Hubby's bday last month? Now, don't get me wrong, its not that I can't bake, I just prefer doing layered cakes is all. I even got out my pastry bags to apply the frosting:) Soooo, for this card I started out with SU! chocolate chip base. The patterned paper is from Overten House Collections(EK success), and I added the SU! Pretty in Pink scalloped edge. The ribbon(May Arts) runs under the bottom of the focal image and is tied to the side. The bella image is colored with SU! re-inkers and watercolor pencils. I "boxed" her in by adding some stitching and placing a pearl(Ellen Hutson) on the tip of the cupcake. I know its hard to see in the photo, but I used my stardust glitter gel pen to color in the cupcake "foil" wrapper...very sparkly! Amuse twinkle stickers were added to the scalloped(SU! corner rounder)edges. The sentiment is also from Stamping Bella:) This color combo was inspired to a recent trip to Costco...anyone ever seen the book 500 Cupcakes?